The Secretary-General spoke today, 16 July 2012, with H.E. Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.

During their call, the Secretary-General expressed his condolences for the recent loss of life following the flash floods in the Krasnodar Region of the Russian Federation.

They also discussed the situation in Syria and the imperative need for the violence to stop at once.

He called on Russia to use its influence to ensure the full and immediate implementation of the six-point plan and the Action Group communiqué, as well as of resolutions 2042 and 2043 of the Security Council.

The Secretary-General also referred to his note to the Security Council from 13 July 2012, and the letter of the same date to the Council from the United Nations-League of Arab States Joint Special Envoy, Kofi Annan.

The Secretary-General noted that the Joint Special Envoy was in Moscow for talks and stressed the importance of these discussions, given the escalating and alarming situation in Syria.